After nearly two weeks of negotiations, the Screen Actors Guild of America (SAG) and the Hollywood studio executives as represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP) are nowhere near reaching agreement over SAG’s new contract.
Variety reports that the AMPTP is frustrated over SAG’s steadfastly sticking to its initial proposals. SAG is wanting a better deal in terms of new media than was agreed upon by the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and Writers Guild of America (WGA).
SAG’s current contract expires on 30 June. If a new contract is not decided upon by then, it is likely the union, which has 120,000 members, may go on strike. This would be the second strike to hit Hollywood since November last year, when the WGA set up picket lines.
There are only another three days of talks scheduled, as the other actors union, the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists (AFTRA), which represents mostly soap actors, is due to start its own negotiations with the AMPTP thereafter.
